ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez has urged the Biden administration to send more aid to Pakistan in the wake of the recent floods, reported the state-owned media on Sunday, describing the amount shared with the South Asian state a “drop in a bucket.”
Pakistan witnessed record monsoon rains and massive flooding in the last three months which destroyed houses, farmlands and public infrastructure across the country.
According to official estimates, the rehabilitation activities can last for years and may cost the government over $40 billion.
The international community has tried to help Pakistan by sending flood relief items, including food, medicines and tents, to help families displaced by the erratic weather conditions, though the country requires greater humanitarian assistance.
“The US government has provided $53 million as humanitarian assistance for flood victims, but this is like a drop in a bucket and we would need to do more for flood victims,” Menendez said while addressing an event organized by the Pakistani-American community in New Jersey according to Radio Pakistan.
“We have to get a disaster relief package for Pakistan from the US Congress and organize an international donors conference for the flood victims in Pakistan,” the Associated Press of Pakistan news agency quoted him as saying.
“I am willing to work with anyone in the US Congress who is willing to work with us to help Pakistan,” he continued.
Pakistan’s envoy to the US, Masood Khan, thanked the Biden administration for expressing solidarity with his country and providing timely assistance during the initial stages of flood response.
Khan praised the US senator for closely monitoring the flood situation in Pakistan and seeking a long-term commitment from the administration in Washington for rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
He also thanked US officials for acknowledging the link between extreme weather patterns stemming from climate change and the unprecedented floods in his country.
“The real challenge lies ahead as we enter the phase of bringing life back to the flood-affected areas, rebuilding roads, repairing and restoring infrastructure, generate, cultivate crop land and construct houses, schools and hospitals,” he told the gathering.
Other embassy officials praised the Pakistani diaspora community for making efforts to help their country after floods.
“Our diaspora community has always stood up in times of need,” Ayesha Ali, Consul General of Pakistan in New York, said. “The biggest challenge would be in the recovery and relief phase and we should continue to support flood victims in Pakistan.”
Prominent US lawmaker asks Biden administration to increase aid to flood-hit Pakistan
https://arab.news/9qjng
Prominent US lawmaker asks Biden administration to increase aid to flood-hit Pakistan
- The top official of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee calls American assistance of $53 million a ‘drop in a bucket’
- Senator Bob Menendez calls for international donors’ conference to help flood-affected families in Pakistan
Four killed in car, gas tanker collision in Pakistan’s northwest
- Road accidents are common in Pakistan, where highways and roads are poorly maintained and traffic laws are widely ignored
- Last month, a speeding truck carrying laborers, women and children fell into a ravine in Sindh, killing at least 13 people
ISLAMABAD: At least four people were killed on Monday when a car collided with a gas tanker in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the provincial rescue service said.
The collision took place in Daraban area of KP’s Dera Ismail Khan district and the deceased included a nine-year-old child, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson.
The cause of the accident could not be immediately known.
“Bodies of all those killed were shifted to hospital,” the spokesperson said. “All deceased person hailed from Darazanda tehsil.”
Road accidents are common in Pakistan, where highways and roads are poorly maintained and traffic laws are widely ignored.
Last month, a speeding truck carrying laborers, women and children fell into a ravine in the southern Sindh province, killing at least 13 people and injuring 20 others, police said.
In Dec., at least 18 passengers were killed in two separate road crashes in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces, authorities said.
Pakistani textile industrialists expect Trump to cut export tariffs after India ceasefire
- President Donald Trump said he will “substantially” increase trade with Pakistan and India after the US brokered a ceasefire between both nations
- Pakistan industrialists say they support Washington’s efforts and remain committed to promoting peace through Pakistan-US trade-led engagement
KARACHI: Pakistani textile mill owners on Monday expressed their hopes that United States (US) President Donald Trump will reduce tariffs on Pakistan’s exports, in line with his announcement to “substantially” increase trade with Pakistan and India following a ceasefire between the two nations.
Trump’s announcement came a day after Washington brokered the ceasefire after four days of fighter jet, missile, drone and artillery strikes by India and Pakistan against the other, leaving nearly 70 people dead on both sides.
The US president has imposed a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports to the US and higher duties on dozens of countries. Pakistan faces a 29 percent tariff due to a trade surplus with the US of about $3 billion, though the US last month announced a 90-day pause in reciprocal tariffs.
The All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) said Trump’s message was an “encouraging signal” for the future of US-Pakistan economic engagement, especially in the textile sector that serves as the backbone of Pakistan’s export economy.
“His statement is a timely recognition of the crucial role trade can play in this regard. The US remains Pakistan’s largest export destination, with textiles accounting for nearly 80 percent of total exports to the American market. Additionally, Pakistan is the second-largest importer of US cotton and has taken proactive steps to increase cotton imports in response to concerns over the trade imbalance,” APTMA said.
“In line with these increased imports, we expect the US to reduce existing and proposed tariffs on Pakistan’s exports, thereby enhancing market access and unlocking greater trade opportunities.”
Trump said on Sunday he would try to work with both India and Pakistan to see if they can resolve their dispute over Kashmir, which had been divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both.
The two countries have fought two of their three wars over the region, while last week’s military conflict between them was also triggered by a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists on April 22.
“While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great Nations,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, referring to India and Pakistan.
“Additionally, I will work with you both to see if, after a ‘thousand years,’ a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir,” he added.
APTMA said it supports international efforts, particularly those led by the US, aimed at fostering lasting peace in South Asia, including the resolution of long-standing disputes through dialogue and mutual understanding.
“We recognize that economic cooperation and regional stability are deeply interconnected and remain committed to promoting peace through trade-led engagement,” it said.
“Building on this momentum, we look forward to strengthening a resilient and mutually beneficial US-Pakistan trade partnership, grounded in respect, national sovereignty, and shared economic goals.”
Indian army says talks with Pakistan’s military operations chief delayed
- There were no reports of explosions or projectiles overnight, with Indian army saying Sunday was first peaceful night in recent days
- Before ceasefire on Saturday, Pakistan and India had fought with missiles and drones during four days of intense confrontation last week
ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan have delayed until Monday evening talks between their military operations chiefs to discuss the next steps after a ceasefire, the Indian army said, as New Delhi reopened airports and shares rose in the nuclear-armed rivals.
A fragile 48-hour-old truce appeared to be holding on Monday after both sides blamed the other for initial violations on Saturday night, hours after the US-brokered deal was first announced. There were no reports of explosions or projectiles overnight, after some initial ceasefire violations, with the Indian Army saying Sunday was the first peaceful night in recent days along their de facto Line of Control border.
Saturday’s ceasefire followed four days of intense fighting with drones and missiles and gun fire exchanges across the Line of Control that divides the disputed Kashmir valley into parts administered by India and Pakistan. Dozens were reported killed.
The Indian army said on Monday both sides’ director generals of military operations would speak by telephone in the evening, a delay from an initial timing of noon (0630 GMT), but gave no reason.
“In spite of some minor damage, all our military bases and systems continue to remain fully operational,” India’s director general of air operations, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, told a media briefing.
A day earlier, Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai, the director general of military operations, said India’s armed forces struck nine militant infrastructure and training facilities, including sites of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group that India blames for carrying out major militant strikes in India and the disputed region of Kashmir.
At a televised news conference on Sunday, Pakistan military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan’s armed forces targeted a total of 26 Indian military installations in response to India’s missile strikes which were launched before dawn Wednesday.
He said the military had vowed it would respond to the Indian aggression, and it has fulfilled its commitment to the nation. Sharif warned that any threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty or territorial integrity would be met with a “comprehensive, retributive, and decisive” response.
He said Pakistan exercised “maximum restraint” during the counterstrike, employing medium-range missiles and other munitions, and that no civilian areas were targeted inside India.
MARKETS INCH UP
Pakistan halted trading on Monday for an hour after its benchmark share index rose nearly 9 percent, having recovered most of its losses in the past three sessions after India’s first strikes last Wednesday.
Late on Friday, the International Monetary Fund approved a fresh $1.4-billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund and approved the first review of its $7 billion program.
Pakistan’s benchmark share index closed up 9.4 percent on Monday, while India’s blue-chip Nifty 50 index closed 3.8 percent higher in its best session since February 2021.
Before the ceasefire took hold on Saturday, the arch rivals had targeted each other’s military installations with missiles and drones, as relations turned sour after India blamed Pakistan for a militant attack that killed 26 tourists on Apr. 22. Pakistan denies the accusations and has called for a neutral investigation.
Saturday’s truce was first announced by US President Donald Trump. US officials also said the two nations had agreed to hold talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site though no date has been announced yet.
Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the two countries since independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Both countries claim the Muslim-majority region in full but govern only parts of it. They have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over the disputed territory.
Islamabad has thanked Washington for facilitating Saturday’s ceasefire and welcomed Trump’s offer to mediate on the Kashmir dispute with India but New Delhi has not commented on US involvement in the truce or talks at a neutral site.
- With inputs from Reuters
Normalcy slowly returns to Azad Kashmir as ceasefire holds
- India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after exchanging drone, artillery and missile attacks
- Residents return to homes near contested border in Azad Kashmir but remain skeptical of lasting peace
CHAKOTHI, AZAD KASHMIR: Shops began reopening in Azad Kashmir on Sunday (May 11) after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire along their contested border, but residents expressed doubts about how long the peace would last without a political solution to the decades-old Kashmir dispute.
The border town of Chakothi, which had borne the brunt of recent cross-border shelling, showed tentative signs of normalcy as shopkeepers returned to assess damage and restart businesses. Many residents who had fled the violence remained hesitant to return.
“We’ll restart business but it will take time,” said Shabbir Abbasi, a shopkeeper and head of the local traders’ union. “People won’t come back until there’s a proper ceasefire agreement.”
The nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to stop cross-border firing in Kashmir, but locals said temporary truces were not enough.
“The Kashmir issue must be resolved now if they want real peace,” Abbasi told Reuters.
Some residents welcomed the pause in violence but remained skeptical.
“A ceasefire is good, but talks to resolve Kashmir would be better,” said Mohammad Aslam, a Chakothi resident.
Muhammad Munir noted that people don’t rely much on ceasefire agreements.
“Today there is a ceasefire but by evening there may be firing here,” he said. “That’s why people don’t rely on this too much, they don’t think this is a final thing.”
Hafiz Muhammad Shah Bukhari, a resident of district Poonch in India, was also happy at the cessation of hostilities.
“There is a lot of joy in the village [after ceasefire],” he said. “Personally, I am very thankful to Allah. It is a very good decision that the shelling has stopped.”
Saturday’s ceasefire marks the temporary end to fighting that started on Wednesday (May 7), two weeks after 26 men were killed in an attack targeting Hindus in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Pakistan welcomes Kurdish PKK’s disbandment, ending 40-year Turkiye insurgency
- Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984, the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, exacted huge economic losses
- PKK’s decision will give President Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to boost development in Turkiye’s mainly Kurdish southeast
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday welcomed the decision by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, to disband and end its armed struggle.
Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984, the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, exerted a huge economic burden and fueled social tensions. The PKK is designated a terrorist group by Turkiye and its Western allies.
Taking to X, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the PKK’s dissolution a “historic development.”
“Pakistan welcomes the announcement of PKK’s dissolution, a significant step toward lasting peace and a terror-free Turkiye,” he wrote.
The Firat news agency, which is close to the group, reported on Monday that the PKK 12th Congress decided to “dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure and end the armed struggle.”
The PKK held the congress in response to a February call to disband from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island south of Istanbul since 1999. It said on Monday that he would manage the process.
On Mar. 1, the PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire, but attached conditions, including the creation of a legal framework for peace negotiations.
“The PKK has completed its historic mission,” the PKK statement said. “The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics.”
The PKK’s decision will give President Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to boost development in Turkiye’s mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has impaired the regional economy for decades.
A deputy leader of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, the third largest in Turkiye’s parliament and which played a key role in facilitating Ocalan’s peace call, told Reuters the PKK decision was significant not just for Kurdish people but for the Middle East as a whole.
“It will also necessitate a major shift in the official state mentality of Turkiye,” DEM’s Tayip Temel said.
- With inputs from Reuters
